Full Length Research Paper

Swimming ability and physiological response to swimming fatigue in kuruma shrimp, Marsupenaeus japonicus

Xiaoming Yu¹, Xiumei Zhang^1,2*, Peidong Zhang¹ and Cungen Yu²

¹The Key Laboratory of Mariculture, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, PR China.

²Fishery College, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316004, PR China.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: gaozhang@ouc.edu.cn. Tel: 86-532-82032076. Fax: 86-532-82032076.

Accepted 28 January, 2009

The swimming endurance of kuruma shrimp, Marsupenaeus japonicus (11.04 ± 2.43 g) at five swimming speeds (23.0, 26.7, 31.0, 34.6 and 38.6 cm s^-1) was determined in a circulating flume at 25.7 ± 0.7°C. The plasma glucose and total protein, hepatopancreas and pleopods muscle glycogen concentrations were determined before swimming and immediately after swimming to evaluate physiological effect of swimming. Swimming endurance of M. japonicus decreased as swimming speed increased. The relationship between swimming endurance (t, s) and swimming speed (v, cm s^-1) could be described by the logarithmic model as: t = -6881Ln (v) + 26090, R² = 0.97 (P < 0.01). The swimming ability index (SAI), defined as SAI = was found to be 32.43 cm. Metabolic rates of plasma glucose (M_pg, μmol ml^-1 s^-1) and pleopods muscle glycogen (M_mg, mg g^-1 s^-1) during swimming to fatigue increased as swimming speed increased. The relationship between M_pg or M_mg and swimming speed (v, cm s^-1) could be described by the exponential model as: M_pg = 3E-06e^0.140v, R² = 0.98 (P<0.01) or M_mg = 4E-06e^0.137v, R² = 0.95 (P<0.01), respectively. Swimming to fatigue led to severe loss of plasma glucose and hepatopancreas glycogen concentrations (P<0.05). Plasma glucose and pleopods muscle glycogen might be used as energy source during swimming.

Key words: Marsupenaeus japonicus, swimming ability, swimming fatigue, physiological response, glucose, glycogen, total protein.